Description

CHESTER CITY (IM)

SJ4066SW WHITE FRIARS
595-1/3/450 (South side)
28/07/55 No.13

GV II

Town house, now office. Probably C18 and early C19, but
cellars suggest probably late medieval origin. Brown brick,
Flemish bond to front; grey slate roof has ridge parallel with
street.
EXTERIOR: 3 storeys with a symmetrical 3-window front.
Rendered plinth; recessed sashes with painted stone sills and
wedge lintels. The first storey has 2 stone steps to door of 4
raised cross-shaped panels above 2 flush panels in pedimented
timber case with fluted pilasters, and a looped radial-bar
overlight; a 16-pane sash to each side. The second storey has
three 16-pane sashes; the third storey has 3 narrower 12-pane
sashes; lead rainwater head and round pipe; painted stone
cornice; west gable chimney. The altered rear has a 24-pane
stair window and miscellaneous sashes.
INTERIOR: the cellars have quarry-tile floor, some probably
late medieval coursed sandstone masonry in walls largely of
C18 brickwork, chamfered oak beams, flat oak joists, some
chamfered, and a wood stair. The hall has a round archway with
panelled intrados to stair. Most doors have fluted architraves
with carved ornaments, mostly lions' heads, in their corners.
The front west room has a fluted dado-rail, a simple
fireplace, a cross-beam with pecked panels, frieze, cornice
and a basket-arched opening, with pecked panels in soffit, to
rear room which has a Regency fireplace with carved pilasters
and frieze, a simple dado-rail and panels in the canted cheeks
to a recessed broad window with sub-panels and architrave; a
cornice. The door to the front west room is removed, the rear
west room has a 5-panel door. 6-panel door to the front east
room which has sub-panels to window and a chamfered
cross-beam.
The open-string dogleg stair has panelling beneath the first
flight, shaped brackets, curtail step, cruciform newel and
balusters with intersecting serpentine rods around a central
concave lozenge in each panel, all of cast-iron, and a
wreathed and swept mahogany rail with a contrasting hardwood
strip.
The second storey front room has a 6-panel door, sub-panels to
windows, a simple fireplace and a good 3-panel plaster ceiling
with panelled longitudinal beams and moulded cornices with
vine-and-grape motifs. The stair has a round arch to the

second storey landing. The small room in front of the stair
has sub-panels and architrave to window, a simple fireplace
and a chamfered cross-beam. The rear east room has a corner
fireplace, 2 panelled cross-beams and a moulded cornice. The
rear west room has a corner fireplace in timber surround, a
6-panel door, a panelled cross-beam and frieze and cornice.
The third storey has 2-panel doors, round arch to landing. A
front room has panelled ceiling with cornices; a 2-panel door
between the front rooms; the rear east room has a corner
breast and a chamfered cross-beam; the rear west room has
corner breast and chamfered cross-beam.

Listing NGR: SJ4048366083

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26657031

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)